This invention relates to the automated dispensing and simultaneous custom blending of additives into fuels, such as gasoline and diesel fuel, while those fuels are being dispensed into vehicle fuel tanks, such as automobiles and trucks. It further encompasses automatic dispensing, with choice by the customer, of motor oil, motor oil additives, anti-freeze solution, power steering fluid, windshield washer fluid, etc. This system is designed to be installed totally or in increments. Logical increments would be a first portion to cover fuel additive addition and blending; a second part to cover a choice of multiple grades of oil and a choice of multiple different oil additives and a third part would handle dispensation of needed liquids for automobile servicing that would include anti-freeze solution, power steering fluid, transmission oil, windshield wiper fluid, etc.
The use of additives in automotive fuels has been commonplace for many years. These additives have been formulated by chemical and petroleum companies to enhance the basic fuels and improve their characteristics in many ways. These especially include additives that inhibit oxidation, rust, and formation of gum. Certainly among the most common additives are the lead compounds used for increasing the octane rating (anti-knock quality) of gasoline needed by high compression engines. In more recent years, numerous new additives have been developed. Some of these are for improving the octane without the use of lead because of the air pollutants that lead produces, and because of the damage lead products do to the catalytic convertors which are now used on automotive engines to reduce air pollution. Others are detergents for keeping carburetors and fuel injectors clean, and there are deposit modifiers for keeping components clean and preventing/removing carbon and other deposits from accumulating on critical engine components. There are additives that prevent freezing of water accumulations in fuel tank and lines in cold weather, and upper cylinder lubricants. There are even additives that offset the harmful effects of other additives. As higher technology engines have been developed, in the USA as well as in Europe and Japan, the need for fuel additives has become ever more critical. The additives business is on a rapid increase as oil companies, auto service departments and motorists strive to meet the needs of the new engines, and to minimize expensive repairs.
Historically, additives have been blended into the fuel at various stages. Additives needed in all gasolines are added at the refinery. Others important to the pipeline (anti-rust, for example) are added at the pipeline entry. Others that are more specifically required by the marketer and his public customers are added selectively at the terminals and bulk plants in accordance with the specifications of the individual gasoline marketer. Major oil companies often provide and promote additives in their gasoline to encourage brand allegiance, and this is especially true of their costly premium grades. On the opposite end of the spectrum, many "unbranded" gasolines have no additional additives at all.
Motorists who need, or wish, to use enhanced fuels in their automobiles must buy expensive premium brands in the hopes of getting what their engines need. Their only other alternative is to shop for additives in retail outlets, such as auto parts stores, and with messy inconvenience, add it to the fuel tank when they next buy fuel.
It will be helpful to review the service station and convenience store environment into which this invention will enter. In the past 20 years., the retail gasoline service station operations have changed rather drastically from the traditional stations where the customer and their autos were attended by station employees, and where there usually were service bays for doing lubrication and minor auto repairs. The conversion to mostly self-serve stations, and convenience stores that sell gasoline, have left relatively few of the old style stations in operation, especially in the urban areas. These new stations rely very successfully on the customer serving himself, resulting in time and monetary savings for all involved. It is noteworthy that the general public has adapted well to self-service, even though they are dealing with a very hazardous and noxious material In order for this to happen, very specialized equipment had to be developed for customer convenience and for safely controlling the self-serve dispensing of gasoline and diesel fuels. The attitudes of the motoring public had to change drastically in order to accept the self-serve mode of station operation, and it did not happen overnight. Yet, in looking back, it is just an extension of the general trend toward self-service that had already taken place in supermarkets and most other retail outlets. There has been a conversion in the attitudes of most consumers toward the preference to do it himself, exercising his inherent obsession for freedom of choice, and saving time and money in the process.
This invention provides a logical extension for the established trend where the general public can serve itself with the products that it needs and wants, with a saving of time, and probably money as well. In this case it is for the easy choice by motorists to purchase and automatically blend fuel additives for their expensive automobile engines as they determine are required (a variable over the life of the automobile), and to conveniently purchase and dispense directly into their automobile the various other automotive fluids as desired. These additives can include octane boosters (anti-knock agents), detergents, deposit modifiers, carbon removers, anti-icing, upper cylinder lubricants, etc. It is widely written by experts in the industry that the newer high technology engines require ever more additives to maintain the critical precision, meet their cleanliness needs and octane rating. It is also recognized that these additives may not be rigorously provided by the oil companies and the various gasoline marketers to meet everyone's needs. Similarly the customer may choose and purchase desired motor oil, any one of the various oil additives such as those to dissolve sludge, free up sticking valves, piston rings, etc. And in the same manner a customer may simply add the various other liquids such as anti-freeze solution, windshield wiper fluid, etc., and buy only the needed quantity.
There are several patents in this general field. We have considered the following patents:
______________________________________ Patent No. Inventor(s) Issue Date ______________________________________ 3.316 844 Valle, et al 5/2/1967 4,131,215 Hansel 12/26/1978 4,276,997 Ambler 7/7/1981 4,596,277 Djordjevic 6/24/1986 4,714,087 Jones 12/22/1987 ______________________________________
Of the cited references the Hansel patent assigned to Sun Oil in December 1978 is close to some aspects of our invention. Hansel arrangement has not been a commercial success as evidenced by the issue date and the fact that none are known to be in use. Major differences lie in lack of customer choice, meeting of regulatory requirements, and ease of use as compared with our invention. Our invention allows the customer to choose additives for fuel, choice of and dispensing of products in amounts as low as one ounce or less, choice and dispensing of oil additives and similar purchase of needed quantities of other fluids such as anti-freeze, windshield wiper fluid, etc. This is in contrast with one additive for fuel only in a single mix ratio, and without independent calculations and display, and modern self-serve controls and display as used in our invention.
Further, our invention covers use of an additive nozzle wherein control and display is at the point of addition for customer use in purchasing such fluids as oil, windshield wiper fluid, anti-freeze solution and a wide range of automotive fluids. These products may be purchased in the amounts needed rather than in cans as presently sold, with the volume and monetary amount displayed continuously to the customer as it is being dispensed.